Girl of His Dreams
by iloveromance
Summary: Kirby Keager has loved Dale Beiberman from afar since he was a freshman at Georgetown University. But one day, something amazing happens...
1. Chapter 1

St Elmo's Bar and Grill was hopping with activity. It seemed that everyone in Georgetown had come to celebrate something. What they were celebrating on a weeknight was news was a mystery, but Kirby Kager didn't care. After all, no one in Georgetown needed a reason to party.

"Kirby! Over here!"

Kirby looked up to find Jules waving at him. With a sigh he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Hey, Beautiful." He said, kissing her cheek. "What'll you have?"

Jules laughed, advertising that she'd lost her sobriety long ago. Kirby knew it was wrong to get her any more to drink, but he'd make sure that she got home safely.

"Kirbs, this is Mark." She said, smiling sweetly at the handsome man sitting next to her.  
Kirby nodded in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Mark."

"So what sounds good, Honey." Jules purred.

Mark grinned seductively. Kirby knew that look. He'd given it to plenty of women in his lifetime. "What I want ain't on this menu, Babe."

Jules slowly began to unbutton her blouse, stopping just at her chest. "Here... let me show you my menu." She put her hand around the back of Mark's neck and pulled him into a scorching kiss.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Kirby looked away and fanned himself with his order pad. Had it suddenly gotten hot in here? Nervously he ran a hand through his brown hair.

"I-I'll come back later, okay?"  
When he looked back at Jules and Mark, the searing kiss had progressed to four-alarm. Jesus, those two really need to get a room!

It seemed as though Jules dragged a different guy into St Elmo's every week. Kirby was pretty sure she'd been with every guy at Georgetown University and was now working on expanding her horizons. He'd be willing to bet a week's salary that Mark was well past college age.

It was none of his business anyway. He tossed the worn checkered dishtowel over his shoulder and began to clean up a nearby table.

Slobs.

He couldn't believe that people who drove BMW's around campus would have such disrespect for the most popular bar in town. But what did he know? He was far from BMW status.

When the table was clean, he walked around looking for more customers. It wasn't easy; despite the crowd most people were either sharing appetizers in favor of a full meal, or nursing drinks that they'd bought hours before.

The tips tonight were sure to be lame.

Billy Hicks and his band walked onto the stage, prompting a roar of the crowd.

"Are you ready to rock?" Billy yelled. When he pulled his saxophone over his tall, thin frame, the screams from the college girls were deafening.

Within seconds, nearly the whole place was dancing to the music; Billy's saxophone playing taking center stage.

Kirby watched in amazement as Jules let go of Mark's hand and danced her way through the crowd, pausing to dance with several men along the way.

Finally she reached the stage and was greeted by Billy, who guided her up the stairs and into the spotlight he shared with the band. As they danced to the music, Billy grabbed her and kissed her full on the lips, causing a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd.

When Kirby looked back at Mark, he was stunned to find that the guy seemed to be enjoying himself.

Unbelievable.

"Kirby!"

The booming voice of his obnoxious boss could be heard over the music, which was a miracle, considering how loud it was in the bar.

What did that moron want now?

Kirby cursed under his breath and walked over to his boss. "Yeah?"

"Look, I know the lady is sexy and all..." He said pointing to Jules, who shared another kiss with Billy "But you've got customers. Now get over there and help them before I fire your ass."

"What? Again?" Kirby said with a laugh. He pulled out his order pad and pen and walked over to a small corner table where a man and woman were sitting with their backs to him.

"Hi, what can I get you?" He asked, giving them a fake smile.

The man scoffed. "It's about damn time! I thought we were going to have to sit here all night!"

Kirby smirked. "Well if I knew you were going to be such a jackass, I would have let you sit here all night."

The man stood so forcefully that the wooden chair he'd been sitting in fell to the ground. "Listen you smart-ass punk. I'm gonna make sure-."

"Honey, please. Don't make a scene." The woman said. "Let's just leave."  
"Like Hell we will!" the man said. "I have a right to be in here and so do you!"

The woman kissed the man on the cheek. "Here, help me take this off."  
The man smiled and reached over and pulled the fleece hood from the woman's head.

"Thanks, that's much better." She sighed. She shook out her hair which fell in beautiful waves down her back.

That hair...

Kirby's mouth went dry and he stood, mesmerized at the sight of her silhouette.

"Dale?"

When she turned in surprise, his heart fell.

Damn... it's not her.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

Suddenly the man took notice. "What in the hell are you doing, looking at my girlfriend?"

Kirby backed away slowly. "Hey, lay off, Dude. I thought she was someone else."

"And you're gonna wish you were someone else by the time I'm through with you."

"Come on, Chuck. Let's go." The woman said, grabbing his sleeve.

"Keep away from my property, do you understand? _Kirby_?" Chuck said, glancing at Kirby's name tag.  
"No problem, _Jerk_. Oh, I'm sorry. I meant _Chuck_." Kirby said, laughing at his sudden humor.

"You son of a-."

Chuck tried to swing at Kirby, but in the nick of time, Kirby felt someone grab his arms and pull him away. When he looked up, Chuck was gone.

"That was close." Billy said.

"Hey thanks, Man. I owe you one." Kirby said.

"I'll keep that in mind. I think I've exhausted my favors with everyone else around here." Billy said with a laugh.  
Kirby went back to cleaning the table, and found that he couldn't stop thinking of her...

Dale Bieberman.

She was the love of his life.

Only problem was...

Kirby was the only one who knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dr. Bieberman, can you check on the patient in room 409?"

"Certainly, Mr. Martin." Dale said, taking the file from his hand.

She stood at the nurse's station; her eyes glancing over the small print on the yellow piece of paper. After a while, the letters blurred together, and she wondered if it was due to fatigue or poor eyesight.

With a sigh, she rubbed her tired eyes. She really needed to get more sleep at night. But who was she kidding? Unfortunately, stretches of fourteen hour shifts at a time made sleep a luxury and not a necessity. That was the price she'd paid for her career, but it was all worth it; the four years at Georgetown University and then medical school.

Although medical school was hard, it made her parents proud and that's what was important.

However, Georgetown held the memories that she would treasure most.

Unexpectedly, her mind drifted back to the previous weekend. She'd gone skiing with Tom, her current boyfriend. It was the first time in months that they'd been able to be alone.

On that snowy night they were just settling in after a long day on the slopes; the romantic fire burning in the fireplace, when a car approached, startling them out of a kiss.

"Who in the hell could that be?" Tom asked.

Dale could only shrug.

"Well don't worry. I'll get rid of them."  
"Tom, be nice." Dale said, knowing how angry he could get.

As soon as he heard knocking at the door, Tom rose to answer it. Curious, Dale joined them.

"Kirby!"

The look on his face nearly broke her heart. He looked like a scared little boy who'd lost his way.

Later, after Tom got his car out of the snow drift, he offered to take a picture of Kirby and Dale.

Dale's heart skipped a beat, remembering the moment when Tom had gone inside for the camera. She'd tried to let Kirby down as gently as possible; feeling as though she were talking to one of her pediatric patients instead of a college graduate. His face registered disappointment and he looked as though he might cry. Gently she kissed his cheek and told him that someday she might wonder if this wasn't her loss.

To her surprise, he'd taken her in his arms and kissed her.

She'd stood on the front porch long after Tom had gone inside complaining about the cold, staring at the tracks Kirby's car had left, unable to get that kiss out of her mind.

Now she wondered if she was a fool to let him go.


	3. Chapter 3

"Kirby, are you going to stare at that yearbook all night?" Kevin asked.

Startled, Kirby looked up. "What?"  
Kevin laughed. "You're obsessed, man! When are you going to give it up?"  
"Give what up?"

"This fixation with Dale... whatever her name is."  
"Bieberman." Kirby corrected.

"Yeah her. What's the big deal?"  
Kirby looked at his roommate, incredulous. "Are you crazy? Do you really have to ask?"

"Well, I just don't get it." Kevin said. "I mean, you follow her everywhere, and call her every chance you get. It's like ever since you saw her at the hospital that night, you're addicted to her or something. It's freaking me out to be honest. Has she even called you back once?"

"Dale's a doctor and she's very busy. She'll call back... eventually." Kirby said, wanting the statement to be true, but knowing deep inside that it was just a crazy dream.

Kevin scoffed. "Yeah, she'll call you back. When hell freezes over."  
"You're just jealous, my friend."  
"Jealous? Right. Why would I be jealous of you?"

"I don't know, Kevin. You tell me." Kirby said as a small surge of anger came over him. "You know, ever since Leslie dumped you, you've been a real pain. When are you just going to let her go?"

"She didn't dump me!" Kevin said defensively. "She just needed some space."

"Space my ass." Kirby said with a laugh.  
Kevin rose from his chair. "Look, what Leslie and I had... it was just..."  
"Pathetic." Kirby finished. "You know, Alec told me all about your night of passion and how he walked in on you."

"Well, at least I _had_ a night of passion. What did you and Dale have? One lame date in college and that kiss at her cabin while her boyfriend was inside getting the camera? I mean, what the hell is that?" Kevin asked.

Kirby clenched his fist in anger. Damn Kevin for bringing up the greatest moment in Kirby's life.

All right, he admitted it. He was obsessed with Dale Bieberman. Who could blame him? She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen; long, wavy hair, gorgeous smile. Kirby realized that he'd been so engrossed in thoughts of her that he hadn't noticed that Kevin had left the room.

With a shrug, he returned his attention to the Georgetown University yearbook, flipping through the pages until he came to page 452. The page number was completely worn away from repeated reading. His eyes scanned the pictures of the Georgetown Senior class, stopping at the second picture, third row.

God she was beautiful...

His heart seemed to expand in his chest as he stared at her image. Tenderly he rubbed the picture with his thumb, as though doing so would magically bring it to life.

Kevin was right; he really was pathetic; pining away for a woman who only thought of him as an obsessed kid who was still light years away from becoming a lawyer. He and Dale were from completely different worlds that would never collide. She was a doctor, but what was he? A lovesick obsessed lawyer wanna-be who was stuck in a job as a waiter.

When he graduated from Georgetown last year, he had dreams. Big dreams. He was going to be a corporate lawyer with a beautiful wife and children, on his way to something even bigger.

But so far, he was barely making it through law school.

Graduating from Georgetown was supposed to mean freedom; the feeling that he had finally succeeded. Instead he'd ended up pretty much back where he started. Only this time, the classes were a lot harder, which only pushed his dreams further and further away.

He sighed, thinking about the mess he'd made of his life. Dale was probably better off without him.


	4. Chapter 4

Dale pushed the wilted salad around with her fork.

"You know, if you stare at it long enough, that salad's gonna walk away." Amy said.

Dale laughed, grateful for her best friend's humor.

"What's wrong, Dale? You usually love hospital food, although I can't figure out why."  
"Well, unfortunately these days it's the only kind of food I have time for. I mean, with my busy schedule and all..." Dale said.

"So take a vacation." Amy suggested.

"Amy, are you crazy? I'm still trying to catch up from my last vacation!"

"You mean the ski trip you took to Vermont with Tom? Come on, Dale. A weekend with him is hardly a vacation."  
"What does that mean?" Dale asked, bracing herself for Amy's thoughts on Tom.

"He's cute and all, but Dale, you can do so much better."

"Ha, like I really have the time."

Amy looked Dale thoughtfully. "Hey, what about that kid who's always coming up here to visit?""  
Dale's face reddened. "I have no idea who you're talking about."  
"Like hell you don't." Amy said. "The kid with the short brown hair that you said was obsessed with you."

"I never said _obsessed_." Dale said, wondering why the temperature in the hospital cafeteria seemed to have risen about ten degrees.

"Yeah, right Dale. When are you just going to admit that you like him?"  
"I do like Kirby. He's a very sweet kid."  
"From the look on your face, I'd say you think he's more than just a _sweet kid_." Amy said with a smile. "More like a sexy man."

Embarrassed, Dale looked away.

"Why don't you call him?" Amy asked.

Dale looked at Amy incredulously. "Call him? Are you crazy?"  
"Why not?"  
"Well, for one thing... there's Tom."  
"Oh right... Tom. The guy who takes you to Vermont for the weekend and then suddenly stops calling you?"  
"He's a busy guy." Dale said with a shrug.

"I'm sure he is. I wonder what her name is." Amy said, taking a sip of her Diet Pepsi.

"Amy! He's not like that. He's just very busy with his job." Dale said.

"Dale are you listening to yourself? Do you even know what he does for a living?"  
Dale sighed. Amy knew her too well. "Um, no... Not really, but..."  
"So just call Kirby. What have you got to lose?"  
"My sanity for one thing. Besides, I don't even have his number." Dale lied. He'd left his number on her answering machine so many times, she knew it by heart.  
"I'll get it for you. That guy has left so many messages at the nurse's station that he probably has the hospital number on speed dial."

"I don't have time." Dale argued. "I still have six hours left of a twelve hour shift. By the time I get home, it'll be at least 3 am."  
"So? St. Elmo's closes at 2:30, and by the time you call, he should be home." Amy said.

"I don't know..." Dale said.

"Look, the worst that can happen is that he'll tell you he's not interested. Just call him, Dale. You know you want to."  
Dale thought for a minute. Amy really could be infuriating, even when she was right.

"Okay, I'll call him when I get home."  
The realization brought a smile, and Dale hoped the rest of her shift would pass quickly.

(3:15am)

Wearily Dale opened the door to her apartment, grateful that her roommate Judith was out of town. Right now, she needed all the privacy she could get. Judith wasn't fond of Kirby at all; especially when he practically threatened her into telling him where Dale and Tom had gone skiing.

She looked at her watch, cringing when she saw the time. She never called anyone this late, except for Tom and he was...

Well, she didn't want to think about him right now. After their last fight, she wasn't sure that she ever wanted to think about him again. She shuddered, trying to push him out of her mind.

After changing into comfy sweats and a Washington Redskins sweatshirt, she made a cup of hot chocolate and curled up on the sofa, covering herself with a well-worn blanket.

Next to the couch sat the phone, willing her to call him. She reached into her pocket and retrieved Kirby's number. To her surprise, her hand actually trembled when she held the receiver in her hand and began to dial...


	5. Chapter 5

After tossing and turning for hours, Kirby finally drifted off to sleep only to be awoken by the ringing phone.

"Damn it!"

He squinted and looked at his alarm clock. Who in the hell would be calling him at 3:30 in the morning?

He could think of only one person.

Groggily he turned onto his side and reached for the phone. "All right Kevin, this had better be good."

"Who's Kevin? Is this Kirby?"  
He bolted upright at the sound of his name.

That voice...

"Um, yeah. This is Kirby."  
"Hi, this is Dale Bieberman."

Immediately Kirby's heartbeat quickened.

Hey Dale. How's it going?"  
"Good, thanks."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as he tried to take in the fact that she had finally called him. It was like a dream come true. All this time he'd been hoping that she'd call and now he had no idea what to say to her.

Thankfully she spoke first.

"Listen, I was just wondering... are you busy tomorrow?"  
He climbed out of bed, now fully awake.

"Busy? Are you kidding? I-I mean no. I have to work the lunch rush tomorrow but I'm free after that. I usually finish about 3." Kirby said, unable to believe they were having this conversation.

"Great. Would you... I mean, can I meet you somewhere? Like at St. Elmo's? That's where you work, isn't it?" Dale asked.

How in the world did she remember that?

"Yeah, it is. I'll see you after work then, around 3:30 or 4?" Kirby said.

"That sounds fine." Dale said. "Listen it's okay that I called so late, isn't it? I mean, I figured you'd be getting off work about now."

Kirby smiled at her thoughtfulness. The woman was a goddess; a priceless work of art .

"Well, today was my day off so I was just getting to sleep." He admitted.

When he heard her gasp, he immediately felt guilty for telling her.

_Damn it, Kirby! You're always screwing things up!_

"Oh God, Kirby! I'm so sorry! How stupid of me! I'd better let you go, okay?"

"Okay, but thanks for calling. I've been waiting for you to call for a long time." Kirby said.

Dale sighed. "I know, Kirby. I just..."  
"It's okay." Kirby said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kirby hung up the phone, feeling like a teenager. He couldn't believe it, after all this time. A date with Dale Bieberman-and she did the asking!

Their last (and only) date may have been uneventful (to Dale anyway), but Kirby was determined to make this date something she would never forget.


	6. Chapter 6

Dale stared at herself in the mirror and smoothed her unruly hair for the millionth time. What was she thinking,

asking him out? She'd been a nervous wreck on the phone. He'd said that he'd just gotten home from work but

she knew better. He seemed much too groggy for someone who'd been up for a while.

As she stared at her appearance, she couldn't help but be critical. Her outfit was all wrong; the suede boots, corduroy skirt and bulky sweater did nothing to flatter her figure. What little she had anyway.

It seemed so out of place to wear to a bar, but a glance at the clock told her she'd just have to make do.

Minutes later she was walking through the doors of St. Elmo's. Music blasted from the sound system, sending waves of techno beats throughout the bar.

Suddenly she was more nervous than she'd been in a long time.

(Meanwhile at St Elmo's)

"Hey! This isn't what I ordered!"

Startled, Kirby looked up. "I'm sorry?"

"Damn right you're sorry!" The woman fumed. "I specifically asked for a Chef's Salad."

Kirby scoffed. "Yeah? So?"

"So does this look like a Chef's Salad to you?" She snapped as she held up a blue basket containing a

cheeseburger and fries.

"Oh..."

"Yeah... _Oh_. So are you gonna fix it or not?"

"Just hold your horses, okay? I'll get to it in a minute."

"Hey Kirbo! You gonna bring our orders?" Alec yelled from a nearby table.

"Yeah, just a second." Kirby said. He grabbed the burger from the woman and rushed into the kitchen.

"What's the big idea?" He yelled to the cook. "You trying to get me fired?"

"What are you talking about?" The cook snapped.

"I'm talking about this!"

Kirby thrust the order pad into the cook's face.

"Georgetown Cheeseburger." The cook read.

Perplexed, Kirby glanced at the order pad, dismayed at what he had written.

"That's crazy! I know I wrote down Chef's Salad!"

"The cook smirked. "Then you must not know much."

Angrily Kirby pounded his fist on the stainless steel counter.

"Just get the damn salad, all right? I'm tired of your attitude!"

Within seconds the chef assembled what was probably the messiest salad that Kirby had ever seen in his life,

and then shoved it in his face. "Here! Don't say I never did anything for you!"

Kirby looked at the disgusting salad and rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I won't."

He walked back to the restaurant, distressed to see the angry customer and her male companion walking out

the door.

"Oh hell."

"Hey Kirbo? Our food? We're starving over here!" Kevin yelled.

Kirby couldn't help but overhear his friends.

"Damn, what's his problem today?" Kevin was asking.

"Kevin, give him a break." Wendy said. "I'd be flustered too if my boss ragged me the way Kirby's boss does."

"Guys, I think I know the reason that Kirby's a little off this afternoon." Leslie said with a grin.

When all eyes were on Leslie, she gestured to the door. Kirby followed her gaze, narrowly avoiding a

catastrophe involving a toppled tray.

And then he saw her...

Dale looked better than ever... if that was possible. The long brown skirt hugged her sexy curves which were

accented by her suede boots and bulky cream sweater.

She was absolutely stunning.

He couldn't tear his gaze away as he watched her walk through the sea of customers.

Minutes later they were face to face.

"Hey Dale."

She smiled. "Hi. I'm a little early."

"No problem. Just give me a minute and we can get out of here." Kirby said.

He took off his apron and ran into the back room where he changed his clothes and gathered his belongings; all

in record speed.

"Ready to go?" he asked minutes later.

"Yeah. I'm looking foreword to it." Dale said with a smile.

As they walked out of the restaurant, he glanced back at his friends who were watching him with interest.

And he prayed that when he returned from his date with the luminous Dale Bieberman that he would have a

monumental story to tell.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, where would you like to go?" Kirby asked as he opened the car door for Dale.

"Oh, well... there's a great little bistro on Market Street. Why don't we go there?"

Kirby cringed, remembering the last time he'd gone to the Bower Bistro. His date, Cyndi Milton complained about

everything, and he was only too happy to take her home when she complained of a headache.

"Kirby?"

He blinked, realizing that she was speaking to him.

"Something wrong?"

"Um... No." he replied, hating himself for thinking about another woman when his dreams of going out with Dale

Beiberman had finally come true. "Actually, I was thinking we could go to The Eagle's Nest."

Dale's eyes widened. "Really?"

"No good? All right, well... let's see..."

"It's fine, it's just..."

"What?"

"It's awfully expensive, Kirby. Don't you think it's a little... extravagant?"

"Not at all." Kirby answered a little too quickly.

Dale smiled. "Well... all right. Then The Eagle's Nest it is."

They pulled into the parking lot and headed into the restaurant.

"We'd like a table for two, please." Kirby said. "And I want the best one in the restaurant. I'm willing to pay

whatever it takes to get it."

"Do you have a reservation, Sir?" The host asked.

""Well, no... but..."

"I'm sorry. All of our tables are by reservation only." The host replied.

Kirby looked around at the restaurant which was practically deserted. "But what about all the empty-."

"Reservation _on-ly_." The host repeated slowly, as though Kirby were a child.

Kirby turned away, not wanting Dale to see how angry he was... or how stupid he felt.

What was he thinking, coming here without a reservation? The Eagle's Nest was the most elegant restaurant in

Georgetown.

He looked at his watch. He'd been out with the woman of his dreams for less than two hours and he'd already

managed to screw things up.

"Well, can't we sit at the bar?" Dale asked.

Suddenly Kirby felt a rush of love for her. Given her gentle nature, he should have known that she'd try to help

out.

"Not without a reservation for a table." The host retorted.

Kirby had an incredible urge to strangle the man with his bare hands. Instead he took Dale's hand in his, trying

not to notice how soft it was. "Come on Dale, let's get out of here. We can find something better than this

crappy place!"

Then, ignoring the murmurs of nearby patrons, he escorted Dale out of the restaurant.

"Well, that was _brilliant_." He muttered to himself as they walked back to the car.

"I can't believe a place like that would only cater to people with reservations! And at this hour of the day!" Dale

said. "I'm sorry, Kirby."

"Not as half as sorry as I am." He said. "So now what do we do?"

"How about over there?" She asked, pointing to a small restaurant on the waterfront.

"That place?" He asked, hoping she hadn't heard the annoyance in his voice.

"Well what's wrong with it?" She snapped, her tone indicating that she'd picked up on his irritation loud and

clear.

"Nothing. It's fine." He said, shifting the car into Drive and heading for the restaurant.

His heart was racing and he wondered how a day that started out so perfectly could have turned sour so

quickly.

This was definitely not the way he imagined it to be.


	8. Chapter 8

They entered the small restaurant, and were seated almost immediately.

"So... have you been here before?" Kirby asked, trying desperately to make small talk.

"No... Can't say that I have." Dale said, thumbing through the menu.

Kirby looked at his own menu, appalled when he saw that the most expensive item was the Deluxe Triple

Cheeseburger; definitely well beneath what was good enough for Dr. Dale Bieberman.

"Look, Dale... I know this isn't what you had in mind, so if you want to leave, I'll-."

Suddenly a waitress appeared at their table.

"What can I get you?" she asked, causing Kirby to wince at her high pitched voice.

"I'll have the Grilled Chicken Salad with Thousand Island dressing on the side." Dale said.

"Oh..." The waitress responded, looking away suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Dale asked.

"Well... we're all out of grilled chicken... and Thousand Island dressing." The waitress said, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh..." Said Dale, obviously surprised by this news.

Kirby certainly wasn't. Didn't this waitress (Glenda, he read off her name tag) realize that she was ruining the

biggest date of his life?

"Let's go, Dale." He said, throwing the menu down in disgust.

"It's fine, Kirby." She said. "I'll have the Deluxe Triple Cheeseburger." She said to the waitress. "You don't mind,

do you Kirby?"

The question caught him off-guard and he felt a tinge of anger go through him. Why in the hell should he care if

she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu? It was only $10.95, a fraction of the cheapest item at The

Eagle's Nest.

"Of course not. Order whatever you like." He said to her, keeping his eyes on the menu.

"And for you, Sir?" Glenda asked.

He took a quick glance at the menu, not really reading it. "I'll just have the Deluxe Triple Cheeseburger as well."

"And to drink?"

"Iced tea." He said.

"Make that two." Dale said.

"I'll be right back." Glenda said her smile a little too bright.

When they were alone, Kirby and Dale looked awkwardly at each other.

"Well..." They both said at the same time, laughing at the coincidence.

"This is a nice place." Dale said, looking around the restaurant that was decorated a though it catered to Barbie

dolls. White, frilly curtains on the windows, dull yellow paint on the walls and red carnations in cheap white

vases on every table.

The mere sight of it made him cringe. It was the most pathetic thing he'd ever seen.

After several painful minutes of awkward conversation, their food came.

"This looks wonderful." Dale said, taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

"Dale, you don't have to eat that. I mean... I'm surprised you even ordered it; being a doctor and all." Kirby

said.

Dale smiled and reached across the table and took his hand, causing his heart to do a flip in his chest.

"Well, I know it's a terrible thing for me to be eating like this, but I like to treat myself once in a while." Dale

said.

"You're absolutely right." Kirby said, watching as she devoured the cheeseburger as though it was the most

wonderful thing she'd ever eaten.

"How's your burger?" He asked, not really needing an answer.

"It's wonderful. How's yours?"

He looked down, realizing he hadn't even touched his food and quickly took a bite. "Mmmm.. Great." He couldn't

help but wish they had simply had their date at St Elmo's. Even with Alec and the gang giving him hell, it would

still be less humiliating than sitting in the lamest restaurant in Georgetown with the girl of his dreams.

This date was proving to be a complete disaster.

"Thanks for paying for dinner, Dale." Kirby said as they left the restaurant. "But I still say that it's inappropriate

for a woman to pay on a date."

"Hey, I asked _you_ out, didn't I?" Dale asked.

"You're right." Kirby said with a sigh.

"Dale, I have to say something. This date just isn't working out as well as

I'd hoped."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I think I'd better just take you home."


	9. Chapter 9

They drove home in silence as Dale tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Was it something she'd said?

"Kirby, I really think we should talk about this. I don't understand why you..."

When she saw that he wasn't listening, her voice trailed away, and she decided to keep quiet.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached her apartment.

"I"ll walk you to the door." He said, his voice almost gruff.

"Kirby, what's wrong?" Dale demanded. "You've been acting weird all night."

"It's nothing! Goodnight Dale." Kirby said before turning away.

Dale watched him walk back to his car in disbelief, until she could take it no more.

"Kirby Keager, what in the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled, causing him to stop in his tracks. "I just had the

best night of my life and you're just going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Slowly he turned around and walked toward her. "What did you say?"

"I said... 'You're just going to leave without saying goodbye'?" Dale repeated.

"No... Before that." He said, moving closer.

"Oh... I said... "I just had the best night of my life"." Dale said, unable to hide her smile.

Kirby's mouth curved into a smile. "You can't be serious."

"I am." Dale said.

"I know you asked me out, but I wanted this date to be perfect. An elegant restaurant, candlelight, romance...

and instead we get stuck eating at a lame restaurant called The Waterfront Café. I mean, how pathetic is that

for a name?"

"Kirby, it's fine. Really." Dale said.

"No it's not!" Kirby yelled, startling her with the outburst. "Don't you see, Dale? I wanted to buy you the best

meal you've ever had, and if I had bothered to make reservastions, you would have! And then the damn

waterfront restaurant didn't even have what you ordered! How do you think that makes me feel? Like a loser,

that's how! So I just don't get how you can say that it was the best night of your life!"

She slid her arms around his neck, smiling at his surprised reaction. "It was the best night of my life. Because I

was with _you_, Kirby. I don't need any fancy restaurant. Just _you_."

"Are you serious?" Kirby asked, his face turning pink.

"Mmmm.. You tell me." Dale said as she brought his lips to hers for a lingering kiss.

When the kiss ended, she smiled at his stunned expression.

"Dale, I just don't understand. I mean, I've loved you since I was a Freshman at Georgetown and I admit that

following you to that party in the rain, and getting that job with that arrogant rich jackass Mr. Kim with the

mansion bigger than all of Georgetown University was a bit obsessive, but-."

"Kirby?"

"Um, yes?"

"Just shut up and kiss me." Dale said with a smile as she kissed him again.


	10. Chapter 10

"Kirbo!" the gang yelled as Kirby walked into Houlihan's Bar and Grill the next afternoon.

"So how was your big date?" Leslie asked.

"Get lucky, Kirby?" Billy asked, causing them all to laugh.

"Guys give him a break!" Jewels said. "It's obvious that he got lucky. Just look at his face!"

"Hey shut up, Jewels." Kirby said, ignoring the burning of his cheeks. "Dale isn't like that at all."

"So tell us all about it, Kirbo." Kevin said.

"Yeah, tell us!" Followed the chorus of his friends.

"All right, All right. Fine." Kirby said. "You want to know what happened? Well, for starters, I couldn't take her to

The Eagle's Nest because I forgot to make a reservation, so the damn place wouldn't seat us. Then we went to

this restaurant on the waterfront that could have passed for a dollhouse. And their cheeseburgers aren't half

as good as St. Elmo's."

The comment brought a round of cheers and applause from his friends.

"Then the restaurant didn't even have what Dale ordered, and we both ended up eating cheeseburgers. Then

we got into a fight on the way home. Are you satisfied?"

"But you made up, right?" Alec said with a smirk.

"Oh Alec, get your mind out of the gutter." Leslie said. "

"Jesus, Kirbs. That sounds like one hellacious date." Kevin said.

"Well, at least you got your date, Kirby." Wendy said. "I'm glad it worked out for you. No matter how bad it

was."

Before he could respond, the bartender approached their table. "Kirby Kaeger?"

Kirby looked up, surprised. "Yeah, I'm Kirby."

"Phone call for you at the bar."

He grinned at his friends and walked over to the bar and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

He almost fainted at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Dale."

"Listen, I was wondering if you're free later?"

"Dale, I'm free forever for you."

"Kirby, that's so sweet."

He could almost see her blushing through the phone.

"What'd you have in mind?" He asked.

"Well, I heard about this great vegetarian restaurant on Montrose Avenue."

Kirby laughed. "Since when are you a vegetarian? You ate that huge cheeseburger last night."

"I'm not." Dale said. "But suddenly I have the worst craving for _alfalfa sprouts and a plate of mashed yeast_."

As Kirby hung up the phone, he couldn't help but smile.

"What was that all about?" Kevin asked.

"It was her, wasn't it?" Alec asked.

"Actually, yes. It was." Kirby said.

"Probably called to apologize for that _date from hell_ the two of you had." Billy said, causing them all to laugh.

"Actually it wasn't the date from hell." Kirby said. "It was the greatest day of my life." They stared at him in

amazement.

"Kirby, what's going on?" Wendy asked. "A minute ago you were just telling us about how the restaurant..."

But Kirby didn't hear them.

He was headed for home, to spend the evening with the woman he loved.

**The End**


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